Chapter 17 - The Tree of Echoes
The next morning mist curled around the forest like living breath, muffling every sound as if the world itself had hushed in anticipation. Elric stood motionless at the broken slab, the scent of wet soil and ancient stone clinging to the air.
Behind him, Lira exhaled slowly. "We should return before someone notices we're gone. The villagers are already uneasy."
"I can't," Elric murmured. His fingers traced the jagged crack in the stone, still warm. "Something... reached out. It called to me, Lira."
She crossed her arms. "And what if it wasn't a call? What if it was a warning?"
Elric looked up at her then—his eyes clearer than they'd been in weeks. "Then I need to know what it's warning me against."
---
By midday, they had unearthed the rest of the slab. It wasn't a door or a tomb, but a marker—a sealed entrance, perhaps, a memory engraved in stone.
Etched along its outer ring were more sigils: concentric circles, serpent-like spirals, and what looked like a tree wrapped in chains.
"Elric..." Lira whispered, pointing. "That's the same tree from the children's nightmares. The one on fire."
He nodded grimly. "It's called the Tree of Echoes. I've seen it before—in old legends, in a few forgotten scrolls in the palace library. They say it remembers everything. Every secret. Every sin."
"And someone sealed it away?"
"Or tried to."
---
Meanwhile, back in the palace, the council chamber was restless.
Lady Virella paced, the beads on her gown clicking with each turn. "He's getting too close."
Morian leaned over a parchment. "Selene has not intervened. That may be a sign."
"Or a trap."
A younger councilman, barely in his twenties, dared to speak. "What if we told the truth? What if we worked with him instead of—"
Morian's gaze cut him down. "And what happens when the boy realizes we buried his heritage? When he uncovers what that tree truly holds?"
The young man sat back, silent.
---
In the forest, as the sun began to dip behind the treetops, Elric felt the earth rumble once more.
A low hum, like a thousand whispering voices trapped just beneath the soil, vibrated through his feet. The slab's carvings pulsed faintly.
Suddenly, a sharp sound—a cry, animal or human, echoed from deeper in the woods.
Lira stepped back. "What was that?"
Elric turned, already moving toward the sound. "We're not alone."
They ran.
---
They found a boy. No older than ten, curled up at the base of a tree with bark blackened as though scorched. His eyes were open but unfocused, his lips moving without sound.
Elric dropped to his knees, checking the boy's pulse. "He's in shock."
From his satchel, Elric pulled a small vial and poured a few drops under the child's tongue. Slowly, the boy blinked. His Consciousness returned.
"What's your name?" Elric asked gently.
"...Cai," the boy whispered.
"Cai, what happened?"
The boy's hands trembled. "The tree... it talked. It showed me fire. And blood. And someone falling... falling through a sky made of bones."
Lira looked to Elric, her voice hushed. "This isn't just trauma. He saw something real."
Elric nodded. "A memory. Not his. The tree gave it to him."
"But why?"
"To test us," came a voice from the shadows.
Selene stepped into the fading light, her presence strangely serene among the gnarled roots.
Elric stood quickly, shielding the boy. "Who are you?"
Selene bowed her head slightly. "A Watcher. One of the last."
"I don't trust riddles. Speak plainly."
She stepped closer, ignoring the tension. "The Tree of Echoes was once sacred. A conduit between realms—past, present, and the deeper things no one should touch. But it was sealed when it began to show too much. When its memories turned dangerous."
"And now it's waking?" Elric asked.
Selene tilted her head. "It's responding. To you."
Lira narrowed her eyes. "Why Elric?"
"Because he's not just a healer. He's the heir to something... ancient. Something the council fears. The last time someone touched the Tree, a kingdom fell."
---
Night fell quickly.
As Selene vanished back into the forest without another word, Elric held the boy close. Lira followed behind, silent.
They didn't speak on the walk back.
But deep inside, Elric knew—
He was no longer just fighting ignorance or sickness.
He was stepping into a war of memory, prophecy, and buried sins.
And the Tree of Echoes had only just begun to whisper.
---